192 Forty and Four

"You look blooming, I have to say pregnancy is good for you." (MC)

"Do you really think so?" (Elisabeth)

Elisabeth turned like a model on a runway... and my eyes started to bleed... Women don't know when to stop, I'm a good liar, but there are limits.

"Of course, my dear wife. You look like hundreds of kilos... like pile of gold." (MC)

Literally. I don't know what she is eating, but I assume it could feed a village in Africa for a month... Ok, it's not her fault that she weighs so much, on Mars with less gravity she would weigh less, she's just on the wrong planet... I acted like a prick criticizing my pregnant wife, but I married a slender girl, not something that ate her... The servants brought our luggage to the palace, and I went to spend some time with Elisabeth.

"How are you and how is the pregnancy going?" (MC)

"The midwife says that everything is fine, she thinks it will be a boy..." (Elisabeth)

This is good news, if the Gods want to punish a man, they send him a daughter, there are no such problems with sons.

"...but she also believes they will be twins." (Elisabeth)

I did not have the strength to think about it, I do not know for what sins I deserved such a punishment.

The next days passed quietly, apart from spending time with Elisabeth on big-city entertainment, I also had the opportunity to think about the child that was to be born... and I had a completely crazy idea... or more precisely, I remembered what Adam Mickiewicz wrote in the XIX century, it was a prophecy about a person who could save Poland... about protector and resurrector of the nation.

"Z matki obcej; krew jego dawne bohatery,

A imię jego będzie czterdzieści i cztery."

"Foreign mother; in his veins blood of old heroes, And his name will be: forty and four."

Everything was correct, Elisabeth was not Polish, and many of my ancestors, and even me, can be counted as heroes... all I had to do was, if I had a son, give him names that would contain 44 letters together with the surnames.

Of course, I couldn't announce that my potential son would be the savior of the country, someone else had to do it... for example, a fictional priest Robak, who will have prophecies about the future that will be published in my newspaper... and with my knowledge of history it shouldn't be difficult.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, although in this case it is more appropriate... When life gives you a son, make him a messiah... There was also the second part of the "prophecy", but I wasn't going to use it, at least for now.

I immediately started acting and wrote an article about how I met a priest who traveled around the world and now, after returning to Poland, lives in Bracławskie forests like a hermit... Even if I don't have a son, having a prophet on my side gives me great opportunities to influence people's thinking.

Two weeks have passed since my arrival in the capital and things started to take off rapidly, news of the fall of the capital of Bohemia, Prague, reached Warsaw, although it had not yet been confirmed. If that was true, it meant that I underestimated my brother-in-law and the his army. The Tatars I sent him were not fit for the sieges, so all the work must be done by the French and the Scots... it was disturbing, now I wasn't sure I had the strength to destroy his army.

I also had no information from Wroński about Italian mercenaries, although it did not keep me awake at night... The road to The Hague or London is longer than to Warsaw, so it will be a long time before my mother-in-law and her children get information about the victory and come to Bohemia.

"It's not yet confirmed, but apparently your brother has captured Prague." (MC)

Elisabeth was sitting in the library reading a book on astronomy, but when she heard what I said, she immediately dropped it.

"That's true?" (Elisabeth)

"It is not known for now, but we will find out for sure in a few days." (MC)

You could read from her face that the news made her happy... well, not every day your brother becomes king.

"I should write a letter to my mother, don't you think?" (Elisabeth)

This gave me an idea.

"Of course, write to her and let her come to Warsaw. You will have the opportunity to see her, and she may even see her grandson or granddaughter. There is also the matter of your brother's coronation, he cannot put a crown on his head, sit on the throne and declare I am king." (MC)

"Coronation is carried out by the Archbishop, bishop or other ecclesiastical dignitary, but you are Protestants. It would be good if the previous queen crowned Charles. In this way, it will be the legitimacy of the new king. The rest will be dealt with by diplomacy, Austria, Spain and Rome will not recognize Charles, but England, France, Sweden, Denmark and the Ottoman Empire will probably recognize Charles because it will weaken the Habsburgs." (MC)

"And what will the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth do?" (Elisabeth)

It was a good question and I didn't know the answer to it. We didn't seem to interfere in the affairs of the Empire, we mostly watched it from the sidelines... but the current Queen was of the Habsburg dynasty.

"I don't know, but there are two options. Neutrality, or we'll help the Empire... unless ... let me think." (MC)

There was slim chance of using Elizabeth Lucretia, Duchess of Cieszyn... she had Piast blood in her, and the Emperor did not treat her very well... unfortunately she was also related to Joe Biden, but what is not her fault.